My sister is deaf and has been through so much I think I owe it to her to learn sign language when she comes home. Is there any easy way to learn it? Does the library have books on it?
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Sign Language Lessons, Information, Product Reviews and Tips to Get Started Learning ASL
My sister is deaf and has been through so much I think I owe it to her to learn sign language when she comes home. Is there any easy way to learn it? Does the library have books on it?
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I think that’s a wonderful idea, and will mean a lot to her. First, you should know that the sign language most Deaf people use (in the US) is American Sign Language (ASL). Schools have been using a system for showing English on the hands, called SEE (Signing Exact English), but it’s not what most Deaf people use unless they’re forced to in school. So head to the library for a book and some DVDs, but be sure they are ASL guides. You can also check your local community center or community college to see if there are classes you can take, at least to get you started. Signing involves hand shape, movement, orientation, and more, so it’s good to get the basics down correctly. There are also some good websites that show you how to make the signs (I’ve listed one below).
Your sister will become your best teacher, but if you can learn some to start with it would be a real gift to her. Good luck, and enjoy! ASL is a lot of fun (and maybe you can become an interpreter someday — it’s a great job).
Well first off, I would like to commend you for learning sign language! Secondly, the books that are available, are mostly written for Signed Exact English! Thirdly, it is very difficult to learn sign language from a book, since there is movement involved, some of the signs look like just a mess of lines, arrows and 600 hands! I would highly recommend getting videos instead! There are also a few web pages available that have video clips of signed words! Once you learn a few basics, i’m sure your sister would be willing to teach you more and also correct you when you sign something incorrectly!
Try these sites….
aslpro.com
asl.ms
they are the best websites i’ve found thus far with teaching new individual signs! Remember that some words are eliminated in ASL, and the word order changes slightly! But good luck! If you need any help I’m online alot on yahoo im.